U.S. Faces Scrutiny Over Bitcoin Sale Despite Strategic Reserve Order

TheNewsCryptoPublicado a 2026-01-06Actualizado a 2026-01-06

Resumen

The U.S. government is under scrutiny for allegedly violating its own Executive Order 14233, which mandates that seized Bitcoin must be held in a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and not sold. Despite this, the U.S. Marshals Service transferred approximately 57.55 BTC (worth $6.3 million) seized in a legal case involving Samourai Wallet to Coinbase Prime, effectively selling it. This action contradicts the order’s intent to treat Bitcoin similarly to gold reserves. U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis has criticized the move, warning it could weaken the country’s strategic position as other nations accumulate Bitcoin. The incident raises concerns about inconsistent crypto policies and eroding trust in U.S. digital asset strategy.

The controversy has been whether the U.S. government is breaking its own rule by selling Bitcoin that was supposed to be kept as part of the national Bitcoin reserve. They already passed Executive Order 14233 that if the government seized the Bitcoin, then it should not be sold.

In November 2025, The Developer of the Samourai Wallet was involved in a legal case, and as part of the Plea Deal with the U.S. Department of justice they agreed to surrender about 57.55 BTC worth $6.3 million. This seized Bitcoin was handled by the U.S. Marshals Service, which manages all the seized assets. Instead of holding the Bitcoin, the Blockchain data shows that the BTC was transferred to Coinbase Prime, which was a private exchange platform. Now the Wallet shows the Zero Balance. This clearly shows that Bitcoin has been sold.

What the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Is and Why This Sale Raises Questions

As per the Executive Order of 14233 Any Bitcoin that was seized must be kept in the Strategic Bitcoin Reserves. The Order clearly states that the Government BTC shall not be sold. The Thai Order is passed to keep Bitcoin like the Gold Reserve, not for selling out quickly. The U.S. government has approximately 325,000 BTC in its Reserve, which is primarily accumulated from law enforcement seizures. As per the order, if the Bitcoin were sold, then it would violate this executive order.

Cynthia Lummis, a U.S. Senator and a strong Bitcoin supporter, has publicly criticized the situation. She said that the government should not sell Bitcoin when the President ordered agencies to preserve it. She also warns that the other countries are preserving Bitcoin, but the U.S. could be weakening its strategic positions.

This situation raised Serious Concerns that whether the Federal Agencies are ignoring the white house directives or the U.S. Crypto policies are inconsistent. These types of actions could decrease the trust in the U.S. Crypto Strategy and would put the U.S. behind other Countries in Digital Asset Competition. The lawmakers and the crypto community are closely watching until there is a clear explanation from the U.S. government.

Highlighted Crypto News:

‌Whale Wallet Bought HYPE, Made Profit on ETH; Bull Run Ahead?

Preguntas relacionadas

QWhat is the main controversy surrounding the U.S. government's recent Bitcoin sale?

AThe controversy is whether the U.S. government is violating its own Executive Order 14233 by selling Bitcoin that was supposed to be held in the national Bitcoin reserve instead of being sold.

QHow much Bitcoin was seized from the Samourai Wallet developer and what was its value?

AApproximately 57.55 BTC was seized, worth $6.3 million at the time.

QWhich government agency handled the seized Bitcoin and where was it transferred?

AThe U.S. Marshals Service handled the seized Bitcoin and transferred it to Coinbase Prime, a private exchange platform.

QWhat does Executive Order 14233 specify about seized Bitcoin?

AExecutive Order 14233 states that any seized Bitcoin must be kept in the Strategic Bitcoin Reserves and shall not be sold, similar to how gold reserves are maintained.

QWho has publicly criticized the government's action and what was their concern?

AU.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis criticized the action, stating that the government should not sell Bitcoin when ordered to preserve it, and warned this could weaken the U.S. strategic position compared to other countries accumulating Bitcoin.

Lecturas Relacionadas

Key Lawmaker 'Relents', Wash's Biggest Obstacle to Assuming Fed Chair on May 15 Cleared

Key political opposition to Kevin Warsh's nomination as Federal Reserve Chair has been removed after Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) withdrew his objection, clearing the way for a committee vote on April 29. Tillis had previously blocked the nomination due to a criminal investigation into current Chair Jerome Powell, which he viewed as a threat to Fed independence. The Justice Department has since dropped the investigation. Warsh, who has broad Republican support, is expected to be confirmed by the Senate in time for Powell’s term expiration on May 15. If confirmed, Warsh has signaled significant policy changes, including abolishing the "dot plot" of interest rate projections and reevaluating the Fed’s forward guidance framework. These changes could fundamentally alter the market’s pricing mechanisms for stocks, bonds, and currencies. Although the criminal case against Powell is closed, uncertainty remains as he retains his board seat until 2028. President Trump has not fully endorsed Powell, citing an ongoing review of Fed renovation spending. Warsh’s potential reforms target the communication tools developed post-2008, which have become foundational to global asset pricing.

marsbitHace 23 min(s)

Key Lawmaker 'Relents', Wash's Biggest Obstacle to Assuming Fed Chair on May 15 Cleared

marsbitHace 23 min(s)

Lowering Expectations for BTC's Next Bull Market

The author, Alex Xu, explains his decision to significantly reduce his Bitcoin holdings (from full to ~30% of his portfolio) during the current bull cycle, citing a lowered long-term outlook for BTC's price appreciation in the next cycle. He outlines six key reasons for this reduced expectation: 1. **Diminished Growth Drivers:** The narrative of exponential user adoption has largely played out with institutional ETF adoption. The next major growth phase—adoption by sovereign national reserves or central banks—seems unlikely in the near future. 2. **Personal Opportunity Cost:** More attractive investment opportunities have emerged in other assets, such as undervalued companies. 3. **Industry-Wide Contraction:** The broader crypto industry is struggling, with most Web3 business models (SocialFi, GameFi, DePIN) failing. This overall萧条 (depression) reduces the fundamental demand and consensus for Bitcoin. 4. **Strain on Major Buyer:** MicroStrategy, a major corporate buyer of BTC, faces rising financing expenses for its debt, which could slow its purchasing rate and create significant marginal pressure on the market. 5. **Increased Competition from Gold:** The emergence of "tokenized gold" has closed the functional gap (portability, divisibility) between physical gold and Bitcoin, offering a strong competitor in the non-sovereign store-of-value space. 6. **Security Budget Concerns:** The block reward halving continues to exacerbate the long-standing issue of funding Bitcoin's network security, with new fee source explorations like Ordinals and L2s largely failing. The author's decision to hold a significant (though reduced) position reflects a cautious, not bearish, outlook. He remains open to increasing his exposure if the fundamental reasons for his skepticism change or if new positive catalysts emerge.

marsbitHace 38 min(s)

Lowering Expectations for BTC's Next Bull Market

marsbitHace 38 min(s)

Prediction Markets Cannot Exist Without Insider Trading, But Insider Trading Is Killing Them

Prediction markets face a fundamental contradiction: they rely on insider trading to generate accurate prices, yet this same activity erodes public trust and threatens their survival. Recent scandals, such as a U.S. special forces member making $400,000 on Polymarket using classified information about a raid, highlight the severity of the issue. While platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi market themselves as venues where "everyone is an expert" and encourage informed trading, they also enforce policies against illegal insider trading. The core dilemma is that these markets depend on informed insiders for price efficiency but require uninformed retail participants to provide liquidity. If insider trading is too rampant, retail traders leave, perceiving the market as unfair. If restrictions are too strict, valuable information flow dries up, reducing the market’s predictive utility. The challenge is finding a balance that maintains both accuracy and perceived fairness—a task complicated by regulatory pressures and recurring scandals.

marsbitHace 43 min(s)

Prediction Markets Cannot Exist Without Insider Trading, But Insider Trading Is Killing Them

marsbitHace 43 min(s)

Can Iran 'Control' the Strait of Hormuz?

Iran has announced a comprehensive plan to assert control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil shipping chokepoint. The proposed measures include requiring all vessels to obtain Iranian permission for passage, imposing fees for security, environmental protection, and navigation management—preferably paid in Iranian rials—and absolutely banning Israeli ships. Vessels from countries deemed hostile by Iran’s top security bodies may also be barred. Analysts suggest Iran’s motives are multifaceted: increasing pressure on the U.S. and Israel by leveraging control over oil transit to influence global prices and inflation; creating a new revenue stream, potentially exceeding $7.7 billion annually, to counter Western sanctions and support postwar reconstruction; and using transit permissions as bargaining chips in future negotiations, notably with the U.S. However, the plan faces significant practical and diplomatic challenges. Enforcing comprehensive interception and fee collection in the busy waterway, patrolled by international military forces, would be difficult. The U.S. has already countering with a blockade of Iranian ports and threats to intercept any ship paying fees, potentially strangling Iran’s oil exports and fee revenue. Broad international opposition, led by European and Gulf states, and legal controversies further complicate implementation. The proposal may ultimately serve more as a negotiating tactic than a feasible policy, with its execution remaining highly uncertain.

marsbitHace 1 hora(s)

Can Iran 'Control' the Strait of Hormuz?

marsbitHace 1 hora(s)

Vertically Integrated Capital Aggregators: How Does Web3 Build an Impregnable Moat?

"Vertical Integration Capital Aggregators: How Web3 Builds Unbreachable Moats" explores how leading Web3 protocols create competitive advantages by vertically integrating multiple ecosystem components. Unlike Web2 aggregators that focus on user demand or supplier commoditization, successful Web3 entities like Hyperliquid aggregate capital, liquidity, users, and distribution into a unified financial ecosystem. This integration allows for efficient capital deployment—Hyperliquid generates $0.30 in fees per $1 of TVL annually, compared to Aave's $0.05—while creating a defensible moat that is difficult to replicate across six simultaneous fronts. However, this model comes with risks: DeFi loses $0.50 to hacks for every $1 earned, pushing protocols toward partial centralization and closed systems for security and scalability. The token serves as a shared incentive layer, aligning stakeholders and driving value through mechanisms like buybacks. The article concludes that vertical integration, not capital itself, is the true moat, and that the industry is evolving toward pragmatic, partially centralized models to ensure economic growth and sustainability.

marsbitHace 2 hora(s)

Vertically Integrated Capital Aggregators: How Does Web3 Build an Impregnable Moat?

marsbitHace 2 hora(s)

Trading

Spot

Futuros

Artículos destacados

Cómo comprar ORDER

¡Bienvenido a HTX.com! Hemos hecho que comprar Orderly (ORDER) sea simple y conveniente. Sigue nuestra guía paso a paso para iniciar tu viaje de criptos.Paso 1: crea tu cuenta HTXUtiliza tu correo electrónico o número de teléfono para registrarte y obtener una cuenta gratuita en HTX. Experimenta un proceso de registro sin complicaciones y desbloquea todas las funciones.Obtener mi cuentaPaso 2: ve a Comprar cripto y elige tu método de pagoTarjeta de crédito/débito: usa tu Visa o Mastercard para comprar Orderly (ORDER) al instante.Saldo: utiliza fondos del saldo de tu cuenta HTX para tradear sin problemas.Terceros: hemos agregado métodos de pago populares como Google Pay y Apple Pay para mejorar la comodidad.P2P: tradear directamente con otros usuarios en HTX.Over-the-Counter (OTC): ofrecemos servicios personalizados y tipos de cambio competitivos para los traders.Paso 3: guarda tu Orderly (ORDER)Después de comprar tu Orderly (ORDER), guárdalo en tu cuenta HTX. Alternativamente, puedes enviarlo a otro lugar mediante transferencia blockchain o utilizarlo para tradear otras criptomonedas.Paso 4: tradear Orderly (ORDER)Tradear fácilmente con Orderly (ORDER) en HTX's mercado spot. Simplemente accede a tu cuenta, selecciona tu par de trading, ejecuta tus trades y monitorea en tiempo real. Ofrecemos una experiencia fácil de usar tanto para principiantes como para traders experimentados.

221 Vistas totalesPublicado en 2024.12.10Actualizado en 2025.03.21

Discusiones

Bienvenido a la comunidad de HTX. Aquí puedes mantenerte informado sobre los últimos desarrollos de la plataforma y acceder a análisis profesionales del mercado. A continuación se presentan las opiniones de los usuarios sobre el precio de ORDER (ORDER).